THE DOOBIE BROTHERS, Proctor's Theatre, 06/27/2007

SCHENECTADY â€¦ The Doobie Brothers haven’t had a hit since 1989 and the guy who led them to their biggest commercial success â€¦ keyboardist/singer Michael McDonald â€¦ hasn’t been in the band for almost that long.

So why are the Doobies still in demand?

Maybe it’s because so many of their songs are classic-rock radio staples. Tunes such as “Black Water,” “Takin’ It To The Streets,” and “China Grove” still get plenty of airplay more than three decades after their release.

And maybe because the band â€¦ led by founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons … still rocks like crazy, which is exactly what they did at Proctor’s Theatre on Wednesday night.

The Doobies rocked like it was 1974 on Wednesday night, blasting out a hits-heavy 90-minute set that had more than 2,000 fans singing and screaming along â€¦ and some of them literally dancing in the aisles. The Doobies were on fire from the moment they took the stage, their energy personified by guitarist Simmons’ decision to jump off the stage and run up one of the aisles while churning out one of his searing guitar leads in the first song.

The band didn’t let up, cranking out classic rockers such as “Rockin’ Down The Highway,” “Take Me In Your Arms,” “Long Train Runnin’â€š” and a killer read of “Jesus Is Just Alright” that had fans on their feet and dancing in the seats. The band fed off of the crowd’s energy, with Johnston waving his arms and exhorting people to “get up” as the Doobies rocked.

Fans were on their feet for the last 30 minutes of the show, singing along with “Black Water” and a joyful encore version of “China Grove” that sounded as good as it’s ever sounded. Johnston has said that the band has never sounded better. He’s right.

With the way the Doobies sounded on Wednesday night, Johnston didn’t need to say a word to get the crowd on his side. Simmons was, in a word, amazing, his guitar leads blistering and dangerous on “Black Water,” “Jesus,” and “Long Train Runnin.’â€š” His long gray hair hanging from under his creased fedora, Simmons wore a lazy smile as he wound out his lines; it was obvious he was glad to be at Proctor’s.

Johnston’s voice was in fine form, his gritty vocal sounding best on “Take Me In Your Arms,” a cool cover of “Itty Bitty Pretty One” and “China Grove.” His guitar work was aggressive and bluesy, a nice combination on “Rockin’ Down The Highway.”

The rest of the eight-piece band â€¦ featuring two drummers and longtime band guitarist John McFee â€¦ was on from the word go. John McFee was the perfect side performer, backing Simmons and Johnston on guitar, slide guitar, pedal steel, acoustic guitar and fiddle. Bassist Skylark was in the pocket, saxophone player Marc Russo placed some meaty solos in the right places, and the band’s harmonies were tight.

The Doobie Brothers are still rocking hard and they more than proved it at Proctor’s on Wednesday night.

Michael Lisi is a freelance music writer from Schenectady and a frequent contributor to the
Times Union.